Recent GPS findings...

[gc14]

I'm just posting because lately I've discovered a pretty nice little trick for our beloved bittersweet GPS.

As most of you know, sometimes the GPS likes to think for itself and decide whether it wants to lock sats quickly or painfully slowly. Same goes for me, sometimes I get a lock within seconds, sometimes it takes 5-10 minutes (all the time using GPSViewer to cold start it first).

Well, for the past week I've been using WiFiFoFum while I'm driving to track AP's while using the GPS function to log long. and lat. and collect them into a merged kml file for Google Earth. When I first enabled the GPS function in WiFiFoFum, I noticed that I got a fix and lock almost instantaneously, not even using GPSViewer (my GPS had not been used for at least over 24 hours). I thought it was probably a fluke and shrugged it off, but sure enough the next day I go to use it and BAM another lock within 5 seconds, again no GPSViewer. I've been doing this now for 7 days straight, and each day is the same thing, very quick fixes and locks. I don't know what is going on in the background, but screw GPSViewer, I'm using this from now on to start my GPS.

As always though YMMV, but I'd like to get some feedback if people decide to try it.

Cheers.

[prepsssuck]

I would have to agree on this find and praise for you on how much faster than gpsveiwer is. Iv only gotten the chance to use a few time but got a fix within 30sec of opening

[mr.ellsworth]

I will try this today and let everyone know if I have the same findings.

Can anyone recommend some good gps software for off road and topo maps?

Thanks,

Mr.ellsworth

[Mills00013]

actually been using wififofum to grab a lock since the day i got my gps working. it helps that im a wardriver too :) but definitely the same results here. wififofum grabs locks quickly and accurately. i usually let it run in the background while i start up nav4all or googlemaps.

[gc14]

actually been using wififofum to grab a lock since the day i got my gps working. it helps that im a wardriver too but definitely the same results here. wififofum grabs locks quickly and accurately. i usually let it run in the background while i start up nav4all or googlemaps.

I too am a fellow wardriver...though I don't use the titan for my 'official' wardriving escapades lol.

I like to take it old school with my orinoco pcmcia w/ external antenna connected to a parabolic dish mounted on my roof. Gentoo laptop with kismet configured to use festival, with sound routed through my car speakers...

Getting all worked up just talking about it...lol

[Mills00013]

you setup makes my humble titan weep. in all honesty, i have a hard time giving up the usability and ease of wififofum. that software is just awesome. i use kismac on my macbook when im running it off of my computer but i just cant get over how easy it is to just use wififofum. cant wait until someone figures out how to enable the gps in out titans to work over bluetooth so we can hook those up to our comps

[spizikes]

Try this... http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=21248&highlight=gps+toggle

[spizikes]

Oh yeah... I think AmazeGPS will be good once they make it for windows mobile 6. Right now they have a BETA version. http://amazegps.com/welcome.php

[gc14]

Oh yeah... I think AmazeGPS will be good once they make it for windows mobile 6. Right now they have a BETA version. http://amazegps.com/welcome.php

Looks like ALPHA to me....big difference

[760hacker]

I'm just posting because lately I've discovered a pretty nice little trick for our beloved bittersweet GPS.

As most of you know, sometimes the GPS likes to think for itself and decide whether it wants to lock sats quickly or painfully slowly. Same goes for me, sometimes I get a lock within seconds, sometimes it takes 5-10 minutes (all the time using GPSViewer to cold start it first).

Well, for the past week I've been using WiFiFoFum while I'm driving to track AP's while using the GPS function to log long. and lat. and collect them into a merged kml file for Google Earth. When I first enabled the GPS function in WiFiFoFum, I noticed that I got a fix and lock almost instantaneously, not even using GPSViewer (my GPS had not been used for at least over 24 hours). I thought it was probably a fluke and shrugged it off, but sure enough the next day I go to use it and BAM another lock within 5 seconds, again no GPSViewer. I've been doing this now for 7 days straight, and each day is the same thing, very quick fixes and locks. I don't know what is going on in the background, but screw GPSViewer, I'm using this from now on to start my GPS.

As always though YMMV, but I'd like to get some feedback if people decide to try it.

Cheers.

Hey there, I just installed this on my xv6800 and it doesn't get any locks on sats with gps on. What should the settings be? I have them on Com4 and 4800 baud?

[madman34]

I used TomTom 6 for a month or so and started it with GPSviewer and have the same results, sometimes it locks fast, sometimes grabs a bunch of sats but drops them before it gets a chance to lock and will keep this up seems like forever. I loaded up Garmin Mobile XT last night and find that it will start the GPS and lock within 5 seconds every time. This was amazing to me so I have tried everything to get it to NOT do it that well and I can not get it to fail.

[gbenj]

I used TomTom 6 for a month or so and started it with GPSviewer and have the same results, sometimes it locks fast, sometimes grabs a bunch of sats but drops them before it gets a chance to lock and will keep this up seems like forever. I loaded up Garmin Mobile XT last night and find that it will start the GPS and lock within 5 seconds every time. This was amazing to me so I have tried everything to get it to NOT do it that well and I can not get it to fail.

give it time.
i have had days at a time, where i "can't get it to fail" but then once in a while it just gets annoyed with me and is buggy for a day or two. today being one of those days. i can get it to work, with soft resets and patience, but some days no matter what i do, it always works within a minute

[aph]

GPSViewer can get buggy if you switch the tabs at the bottom more than once. The second tab will stop updating (you can tell this when the time freezes) and it will look like you haven't locked anything, when you actually have. Go back and forth to refresh it again.

[gc14]

Guys...this thread wasn't supposed to be about GPSViewer...the whole point of the thread was to do away with it.

To the guy who's having slow results with GPSViewer:

Read my OP and try and get a fix WITHOUT starting GPSViewer. So far every day for the past 9 days I've tried it, it's been quick and flawless.

Also, I don't think I mentioned it, but make sure wifi is on and you're actually "scanning" with wififofum (with the gps option enabled)...don't just open wififofum and enable gps without actually scanning.

[c@rL0$]

Yup WiFiFoFum works great.
Before I wouldn't be able to lock a Satellite connection @ work ( inside a two story building, elevator, everything that would make the signal weak ) with Tom Tom using any other GPS starter program.

With this it gave me a connection in about 5 seconds. Not only that but I can use it to find Rouge WiFi connections at work.

[gc14]

I should also point out....once Wififofum locks the sats, you don't have to keep it open. You can close it and turn off wifi, then use your GPS software of choice.

[pete9976]

I should also point out....once Wififofum locks the sats, you don't have to keep it open. You can close it and turn off wifi, then use your GPS software of choice.

gcincotta -- What kind of information will you see in Google Maps with the data?

[gc14]

gcincotta -- What kind of information will you see in Google Maps with the data?

What data are you referring to?

[raydog153]

I could never get GPS to work reliably with GPSViewer or google maps, etc....rarely it works, most of the time it doesn't, and WiFoFum is no different. It states GPS: NoFix (0) for me, outside, clear day, following everything here, wifi on, scanning, etc...

There is no magik here that makes your titan work with this program when it doesn't work with others.

[gc14]

I could never get GPS to work reliably with GPSViewer or google maps, etc....rarely it works, most of the time it doesn't, and WiFoFum is no different. It states GPS: NoFix (0) for me, outside, clear day, following everything here, wifi on, scanning, etc...

There is no magik here that makes your titan work with this program when it doesn't work with others.

Mine started working instantly all of a sudden when using this program, when it would take a while with other programs. Did it ever occur to you sir that you may have a defective GPSOne chipset in your device? Or perhaps maybe you have it set up wrong? I love your negativity though!

[jamesjay]

Perhaps check out this thread on a Regedit that apparently massively improves GPS connection times with no software....:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=385324

[gemballa2]

Ok can someone please tell me how to get this program working? What COM do I use for GPS...or is it GPD? Anything else I need to do?

[maccaberry]

Ok can someone please tell me how to get this program working? What COM do I use for GPS...or is it GPD? Anything else I need to do?

Use com 4, Baud rate 4800

After that the program works fine. It works well, but I dont think it is any quicker than gps viewer at warming up the gps unit, but does use a lot less ram.

I like WiFiFoFum because it uses less ram:)
I like GPS Viewer because you can see if the data sentences are coming back straight away then you will get a lock eventually (shortly) but if no sentences are coming back then it is unlikely you will get a lock and you may as well soft reset and start again.
Overall if you are not having locking problems in general then WiFiFoFum is better because it uses less ram. Otherwise for flaky gps locking titans gps viewer gives you a bit more information about if you will get a lock or not eventually.

[raydog153]

I'm not being negative, just stating the facts. I very well may have a bad chip for all I know, but I know it is configured correctly. But I will tell you this, one day I tried everything to get it to work, hard reset, soft reset, changing all the settings....then it just started working, but then I couldn't get it to stop working.....meaning I soft reset, changed settings, and it would lock after 5 seconds no matter what I did to try and figure out why it didn't work before. Then the next day it didn't work again, even thou I did nothing. GPS Viewer will see 6+ sats, but will never lock onto them. I'm on DCD 3.0.1, radio 3.35 etc...

[freeza]

.......ever wonder if it is turning on WIFI that makes it work fast and not WiFiFoFum.......? lol